Tim Connelly got a taste of his new job as Nuggets general manager Thursday morning with an introductory news conference, one-on-one media interviews afterward and the realization that all of this was a prelude to the real work to be done.

A head coach needs to be hired. A support staff needs to be hired. A key free agent needs to be coaxed to return to the Nuggets. Those are the first three items on Connelly’s to-do list.

Connelly, 36, was hired this week from New Orleans, where he was an assistant GM. He hasn’t met with all of the players on the Denver roster, although he knows a few already.

But he has talked to Andre Iguodala, who has been working out at the Pepsi Center. Iguodala will be an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins in July. Contract negotiations can start July 1. Contracts can be signed beginning July 10.

The Nuggets want Iguodala back.

“I’m very optimistic,” Connelly said. “I’m very aware of the free-agent landscape. In New Orleans, we had about $14 million to spend; a small forward might be a position we looked at, so I’m aware of what potential lies out there for him. I think he’d be hard-pressed to find a more attractive situation than ours, and I think he feels the same way. He’s a key cog to an excellent team. I feel great about getting him back into uniform.”

Is the feeling mutual between the Nuggets and Iguodala?

“Absolutely,” Connelly said. “He’s here working out. I think that speaks to where his heart is at. He’s such a pro. I look forward to knowing him more as a person. I think when you see a guy working out a week before the draft, it shows you where he wants to be.”

Connelly put no time frame on when the Nuggets will hire a coach. This week they interviewed former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw. Both interviews went well, Connelly said.

“I don’t think we want to put a concrete timeline on anything,” he said. “There’s a potential to talk to additional candidates; we’ve talked to two great guys already.”

Nuggets president Josh Kroenke backed him up, saying: “We’re going to do things at our own pace. If somebody makes a decision between now and then, we’ll adjust accordingly.”

Shaw also is a candidate for the Los Angeles Clippers’ coaching job.

The departures of vice president of basketball operations Pete D’Alessandro and director of player personnel Mike Bratz to the Sacramento Kings and scouting director Dan Tolzman to the Toronto Raptors mean there are support staff jobs to be filled. Connelly said he would like to get that done as soon as possible.

As for the Denver roster, Connelly grinned when asked for his view of the talent.

“I’m the luckiest guy in the room,” he said. “It’s rare you get jobs like this with a roster with this much talent. The cupboard is full.

“I want to grow. The foundational pieces are there. It’s a super-talented roster; you don’t win 57 games by accident. Our present roster, there are some young players who are capable, with hard work, of making big jumps. And I think internal improvement is always the tried and true way to improve in the NBA.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.